On a bright, cool, and breezy November day in New Mexico I came upon these milkweed pods alongside the road. The pods had split and the tightly packed seeds were waiting for their silky tails to catch a wind gust and be carried to who knows where for a potential new lease on life. I don't know what the odds of a seed landing in a place where it can grow into a healthy plant, but I'm thinking they are pretty long in such a harsh, dry, environment.
The milkweed pods are a marvel of compression and timed release. Bearded irises are similar in that way and watching the blooms emerge from the iris flames provides an equal level of amazement for me. We could probably learn a thing or two about packing from nature.
